Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
78 results found in Visual Accessibility.
- Accelerated Speech (Time-Compressed Speech, Speed-Up Speech)
- Audio output played at faster than normal speaking rate, commonly used by people with visual impairments when interacting with screen readers and other audio-based assistive technologies. Research sho…
- Accessible Graphics (Accessible Images, Non-Visual Graphics)
- Visual information such as charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations that has been made perceivable and understandable to people with visual impairments through alternative formats. These formats incl…
- Adaptive Typography (Context-Aware Typography, Dynamic Typography)
- The practice of adjusting text presentation - font size, weight, line spacing, character spacing, contrast, and colour - automatically or semi-automatically in response to the user's current needs and…
- Anomalous Trichromacy (Anomalous Trichromatic Vision)
- A category of colour vision deficiency where all three types of cone cells are present but one type has a shifted sensitivity range, resulting in altered colour perception that is less severe than dic…
- Audio-First Design (Audio-Centric Design, Sound-First Design)
- A design approach that prioritizes audio as the primary interaction modality rather than treating it as a secondary alternative to visual interfaces. Audio-first design is particularly relevant for cr…
- Auditory Graph (Audible Graph, Sonified Chart)
- A non-visual representation of data that uses sound properties such as pitch, volume, duration, and timbre to convey the values and patterns typically shown in visual charts and graphs. Auditory graph…
- Auto-Aim (Lock-On Targeting, Target Assist, Aim Assist)
- An accessibility feature in games and virtual environments that helps users locate and track targets without requiring precise manual aiming. Auto-aim typically scans the environment for objects of in…
- Barcode (Bar Code, QR Code, 1D Barcode, 2D Barcode)
- A barcode is a machine-readable visual encoding of data — linear (one-dimensional, such as UPC or EAN) or matrix (two-dimensional, such as QR or DataMatrix codes). In a digital accessibility context, …
- Braille Slate and Stylus (Slate and Stylus, Braille Writing Frame)
- A low-cost, portable tool for writing Braille by hand, consisting of a hinged metal or plastic template (slate) with rows of cells and a pointed tool (stylus) used to press dots into paper from the re…
- Braille Textbook (Braille Book, Braille Edition)
- A textbook transcribed into Braille for use by students and teachers who are blind. Braille textbooks are significantly larger and more expensive to produce than print textbooks, often requiring multi…
- Brailler (Braille Writer, Perkins Brailler)
- A mechanical or electronic device for writing Braille, functioning similarly to a typewriter with six keys corresponding to the six dots of a Braille cell. Braillers are significantly faster and easie…
- CCTV Magnifier (Closed-Circuit Television Magnifier, Video Magnifier, Desktop Video Magnifier)
- An assistive device that uses a camera to capture an image of text or objects and displays it magnified on a screen, typically a television or computer monitor. CCTV magnifiers are one of the most wid…
- CVD Simulation (Colour Blindness Simulation, Color Vision Simulation)
- A technique that transforms colours in a design to approximate how they would appear to a person with a specific type of colour vision deficiency. CVD simulations are the most widely implemented featu…
- Camera Phone (Smartphone Camera, Mobile Camera)
- A camera phone is a mobile phone equipped with a built-in image sensor, which in an accessibility context serves as the input device for a wide class of vision-based assistive applications. Modern sma…
- Children with Vision Impairments (CVI, Students with Visual Impairments, Blind Students)
- Children and young people who are blind or have low vision, requiring adapted educational approaches including Braille instruction, tactile learning materials, audio resources, and assistive technolog…
- Color Filter (Color Filters, Display Color Filter)
- An operating-system or browser-level feature that alters how colors are rendered on screen, including grayscale, inverted colors, and filters for protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia color vision …
- Color Universal Design (CUD, Colour Universal Design)
- A set of guidelines and principles developed to ensure that colour use in designs, products, and environments is accessible to people with all types of colour vision, including those with colour visio…
- Colour Contrast (Color Contrast, Contrast Ratio)
- The measurable difference in luminance or colour between two adjacent elements, used to determine readability and visual distinguishability. WCAG defines minimum contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text…
- Colour Palette Generation (Color Palette Generation, Accessible Palette Generation)
- The automated or semi-automated creation of sets of colours that are distinguishable by people with different types of colour vision deficiency while meeting aesthetic and functional design requiremen…
- Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD, Color Blindness, Colour Blindness, Color Vision Deficiency)
- A condition in which a person has difficulty distinguishing between certain colours due to differences in the cone cells of the retina. CVD affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women worldwi…